Reviewed by Tiffany Craig
Lord of the Rings Online is by far, regardless of genre, one of the best games I’ve ever played. Outside the vague sense that Turbine owes Peter Jackson quite a lot for timing, it’s an amazingly solid release. Unlike many RPGs (forget the online ones), it has an ideal blend of story, level grind and attractive graphics. And unlike many other MMORPGs, it interests me enough to consider playing beyond a year, possibly beyond two. From character creation to killing Wraiths in the Barrow Downs, there are few things about the Tolkien worlds that aren’t covered and exceed expectations. Even the chat areas and character interactions venture far beyond you’re typical ‘How do you kill someone that has no life!’ stereotypes so prevalent in online gaming.
Tolkien himself once said, ‘All that is gold does not glitter; not all those that wander are lost.’ But he might forgive you if you can’t find your way out of the Old Forest. You might run in several circles with nigh ability to find your way out, such is the depth of the world and the peril of its monsters. Quest areas can be dauntingly huge with little in the way of direction. But you’ll never have a shortage of things to do while you wander. One of LOTORO’s great feats is the ability to dangle levels and rewards on a perfectly addictive string. And with a free expansion pack released in the next month, it appears likely you’ll get even more lost in your maps and quests.
When you’re not trying to find something, LOTORO offers a charmed experience rich with life and humor via its players and setting. If a Hobbit Minstrel playing the Death March at you doesn’t raise a grin, the Dwarf Champion named after explosives kissing an Elf’s pet bear surely will. The unique Minstrel class, true foes of dark forces if ever there were, will raise a smile when they jam. They might even tempt you to pick up your very own lute. That’s if the war cry of the Dwarf Champion, elegance of the Elven Loremaster or humanity of the Race of Men’s Burglar don’t get you first. You have a huge amount of options available, out of the 7 classes 3 are free for all races. Only the Captain class is restricted to the Race of Men.
The Fellowship and Kinship systems facilitate both quick relationships and long-term friendships. You can and often do join Fellowships to complete a single group quest and quickly go your separate ways. But if you joined up with a group of friends, you don’t really have to disband. The benefits of being in a Fellowship are significant, you share XP, roll for items and complete quests together. The Kinship system, outside of Fellowships, is likely to be more familiar to players of other MMORPGs. It’s here you keep track of your friends and do private chat. Outside of the title you gain when you join a Kinship, there’s little IC reward.
It isn’t all charm and games; some of the quests can be irritating to the point of sputtering frustration. At one point I desperately wanted to join Sauron just to do away with one particular group of Hobbits incapable of crossing the street. You’ll spend an eye-watering amount of time fetching things for various NPCs in between the large instances. And after you choose your profession, you’ll find yourself working more quests to become a master. The deed system too can be an exercise in tedium, after killing your 59th wolf on the way to 60, you might find yourself apathetic about gaining new traits. What drives you through the pedestrian are the large story instances. The ones where you become a hero and protect, defend, slaughter or locate for the good of Middle Earth. Turbine went out of their way to expand on Tolkein’s idea that the war against evil wasn’t won by Hobbits and their band of friends. Victory also came from the contribution and sacrifice of a much wider community. And though it might seem cheesy in parts it’s compelling being a central character in such an imaginative world.
The apparent lack of PvP drives a lot of LOTORO criticism. People, evidently, want to kill other people and an inability to do so is frustrating. Turbine’s opinion is the Lord of the Rings online universe didn’t allow for Elves killing Dwarves, or the Race of Men killing Hobbits. Beyond evil NPCs, one on one combat doesn’t really fit into the game’s aim. So, they created PvmP. After level 10, you can leave your do-gooder body behind and venture into Monster play. It’s similar to regular play, except you can attack other players. And after a hard day slogging for a bunch of farmers too lazy to kill their own wolves, it’s nice just to be a bit evil. A lack of traditional PvP hasn’t really hindered the game at all; in fact it makes people likely to be complacent around other players and eases the pain of Fellowship quests. Try and get someone you just killed to join you on a group quest and unprintable epithets may fill your screen. But in LOTORO you don’t even have to think twice.
You could choose worse environments to host your own battle within Middle Earth. Aside from RF Online, I haven’t ever seen an MMORPG that was so attractive. Ered Luin’s Elf areas roll with hills and drip with cherry tree blossoms, the Low Lands as rocky as the Dwarves and the Shire parochial in housing and people. Music blends in well with the world; the calming symphonies of Elf realms are replaced by thundering orchestras for the Dwarves. Places where Hobbits might live have lilting little jigs to encourage digestion. Voice acting is incredible, with just a little homage to the style of Ian McKellen. Voice-overs never feel stilted, simply cinematic, keeping with overall style.
The true Lord of the Rings: Shadows of Angmar test lay in overcoming the burdens of its sacred subject matter, cinematic expectations and nearness to another MMORPG. At its bare bones, was it addictive enough? Did it engage people enough? Was the story compelling? Was the environment good? And Turbine ambitiously attempted to prove they could do all and do it well. They succeeded. LOTORO was the number 1 game in the UK, US and Canada. It’s essential for RPG beginners and veterans alike. A month in May be a short time to predict longevity but this could be a big deal for far into the future. As long as Turbine keep doing what they’re doing, I’m sure that this reviewer and many others will hop right on and stay in the Middle Earth wagon. Lord of the Rings Online is the new bar for quality in a flooded genre, a game that well exceeds all expectation and is damned good fun to play.
Special thanks to Erica Hutton and Codemasters for providing a copy of this game.